Atheists’ complaints lead university to cut decades-old tradition

The University of Wisconsin-Extension, the outreach arm of the state’s public university system, has complied with atheists’ demands to end the tradition of placing Bibles in guest rooms at a campus conference center.

After a guest staying at the Lowell Center reportedly complained about the holy books, The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a secular advocacy group, sent a letter in early November to the University of Wisconsin-Extension, charging that the Bibles constituted an endorsement of Christianity, reported The Wisconsin State Journal.

By placing the Bibles inside public accommodations, the Freedom From Religion Foundation argued that religious neutrality was being abandoned.

In a Nov. 25 response letter, university Chancellor Ray Cross pledged to remove the Bibles from the 137 guest rooms by Dec. 1 — an act that officials now confirm has been completed.